The booming market of food service apps

Amid the crisis Brazil faces, the market of smartphones and tablets application seems to swim against the flow – at least for now. Proof of that is the exponential growth of apps for food service chains.

After all, finding nearby restaurants, learning the menus in advance, knowing which stores have promotions or discounts, making orders, paying, picking up at the store, at the cashier, or requesting delivery are some of the benefits that have been making the lives of more than five million Brazilians (adherent of this type of service) much more practical and, apparently, a one way road.

The numbers, collected by survey conducted in 2014, indicate a trend that needs to be on the radar of those working in the industry. From the convenience – with consumers getting to choose the channel at all stages of their shopping experience – to matters related to customer relationship with the chain and vice versa, one thing is highlighted: Interaction is a very important factor.

That is due to the fact that the more you know the behavior of those attending your business the more assertive the company will be in its communication. These are decisive factors that may serve as basis for structured relationship or loyalty programs, with scoring system and more.

The urgency of such gets even more remarkable in the study conducted by the international consultancy IDC, which resulted in the following scenario: 

Currently in Brazil, the use of smartphones follows the global scenario and grows rapidly. We are about 41 million smartphone users (compared to 30 million in 2013) and projection is that by 2017 we are 70 million.

Although nowadays no Brazilian food service chain offers such a complete experience – as to interface with mobile devices – the variety of channels is a matter increasingly present within Brazilian retail.

Linx has recently launched a solution developed specially for this moment: the Linx Degust APP Consumidor. The application allows consumers to buy meals accessing the online menu and to customize their orders, with the option to place the order before getting to the store or request a delivery service and pay by credit card through the application. Perfect for brands that want to retain customers and increase sales!